


Stranded

by alfing



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, But I Guess You Can Interpret It as Bro Stuff, Gen, Getting Lost at Sea, M/M, Maybe fluff, Memories, Mentions of Death, Possibly Pre-Slash, There's a Lot of Gay Feelings, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alfing/pseuds/alfing
Summary: Franky made them a swing and Luffy shot them into the ocean. What an idiot.





	Stranded

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I actually cried while writing this, I'm not sorry.

It all started out when Franky had made that new swing. The cyborg shipwright had thought it would be fun to make another addition to the Sunny's yard and built another bigger swing in the shape of a small row boat. Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy had all been very excited by their new toy and enjoyed swinging back and forth in the thing. It was a very amusing sight, seeing the three of them having the time of their lives, cheering with delight. Law hadn't found the object very interesting, but it didn't exactly bother him. That was until Luffy had insisted he rode along with him.

  
The first few times, the surgeon had promptly refused, not wanting to sit on a swing with his ally, fearing that something bad might happen. But eventually, Luffy's efforts had succeeded and Law found himself huddled in one corner of the boat as Luffy swung them back and forth aggressively, laughing hysterically at his own antics. The surgeon, on the other hand, scowled, crossed his arms and slouched until his head was barely visible over the side of the boat.

  
He was very unhappy about all of this, and his irritation only increased when the cord that connected the swing to its secured poles snapped and they were sent flying away from the Sunny. The two were launched high into the air thanks to Luffy's excessive swinging, and landed far from the ship. They ended up in the middle of the sea with no idea of where the Sunny was and no paddles to row the boat in any direction. Law's scowl turned into a glare.

  
"I can't believe I made an alliance with you," the surgeon said under his breath, clutching his _Kikoku_ until his knuckles turned white. He was this close to decapitating his ally, but he knew that wouldn't do any good and it would only waste his energy. But it also didn't help that Luffy was currently beaming at him, despite their predicament.

  
"Don't worry, Torao! My nakama will come back for us and then we can swing together, again!" the rubber-man declared confidently, still wearing that stupid grin of his. Even though he said that, Law didn't feel any more reassured than a fox spotting a hunter by its burrow. But no comment was made on his part as he pulled his long legs up to his chest, hugging his knees after setting his _Kikoku_ down beside him. Luffy stared at him with his wide eyes full of childish wonder. The surgeon looked back at him, obviously unamused by the whole situation.

  
"Stop looking at me."

  
"But I wanna," came the simple response.

  
Law rolled his eyes at him, turning his head away instead. But even if he couldn't see him, he could still feel Luffy's gaze burning into the side of his head. The surgeon attempted to ignore the feeling and instead focused on the waves that crashed gently against the side of the boat. He stared across the horizon, mesmerized by how relaxing it was. He had expected Luffy to blabber away at him, but he was surprisingly quiet, and he was thankful. Watching the water from this tiny boat triggered an old memory from the back of his mind. He remembered when he was younger, travelling with Corazon to find a cure for his disease. He had sat in their boat just like he was now, staring dazedly out at the sea. Corazon would then follow his gaze, watching the sun set or tracking a sea bird floating away.

  
_"We're gonna find a doctor for you, Law,"_ he'd say. _"On the next island, there will be a good doctor who'll save you, I know it. After all, that's what they're supposed to do, right?"_

  
His memory was interrupted when he felt a presence too close to him and he turned, Luffy's face only inches away. "What're you thinking about, Torao?" the younger pirate inquired curiously, grinning at him. When Law frowned, he realized that he had been smiling previously, his lips turned up in a fond expression. The surgeon blushed when he had been caught off guard, not used to having other people see such an expression on his face.

  
"Nothing. It's none of your business," he turned away again, pulling the bill of his hat downward so it would cover his face. He heard Luffy huff beside him and then the boat shook a bit as the rubber-man sat down with a loud thud.

  
"Torao is boring," Luffy booed, pouting in disappointment. "Why don't you wanna tell me anything. We're friends right?"

  
"We're _allies_ , Mugiwara-ya," Law insisted for what seemed like the millionth time.

  
"Whatever, same thing."

  
The surgeon sighed loudly, wanting to correct him, to tell him that it's not the same, but decided that Luffy wouldn't learn anyway and kept his mouth shut. Law tried returning to look out at the sea, but his attention was forced back to the younger pirate as two rubbery hands grasped his cheeks and turned his head to look at him. "I'm bored, Torao. Talk to me," he insisted firmly, looking right into the surgeon's eyes and he felt slightly intimidated by that fierce gaze. After a pause and a resigned sigh, he finally complied. He pulled Luffy's hands off his face.

  
"This... the situation we're in right now... it reminds me of something from when I was younger," he said, looking down at his hands over his knees. Luffy crossed his legs, listening to him speak with an eagerness fitting for a puppy. Law glanced up at him for a moment before deciding to continue. "I had been sick for awhile. I had a disease that was killing me and there was a person who did everything they could to try and cure me. We traveled to every town, to every island, looking for a doctor to help me and I remember that I would sit in one corner of our boat, cacooned in blankets." His gaze returned to his hands, smile slowly returning. "Cora-san, the man who was helping me, he would always try to reassure me, he would always tell me never to lose hope, that we'll find a good doctor next time and... for awhile I believed him."

  
Luffy's expression was unreadable the next time Law looked up, but no words came from the younger pirate, and he took that as his cue to continue. "This one time, when were wandering an island after docking there, we ate sweet potatoes, freshly roasted beneath the leaves. But Cora-san had gotten his coat caught on fire suddenly, as he always happened to do. He hadn't noticed at first, not until I said something. His reaction was hilarious," his smile faltered. "We never really did find a doctor that could help me, and my disease only got worse. But then Cora-san had heard about the Ope-Ope no Mi. He sacrificed his life getting it for me. He-he betrayed Doflamingo for me-" Law brought a hand up over his face, fighting back tears. "I-he died, and I lived and... I can't help thinking that he died for nothing. He shouldn't have risked his life saving me."

  
That's when Luffy snapped. The rubber-man shot his arms out again, gripping Law's shoulders tightly, frowning at his ally. "This Cora guy didn't die for nothing. He died protecting you," he insisted, looking right into the surgeon's face. "Don't you ever say that you weren't worth saving. And if I could, I'd tell him "Thank you for protecting Torao. Because of you, I got to meet him and I'm never letting him go, you hear?" So shut up and stop saying stupid stuff."

  
Law looked at Luffy, eyes watery. He swallowed a sob and tears flowed from his eyes. He hadn't cried in front of anyone, not since his last nightmare and Bepo came in to comfort him. But he couldn't stop the drops from falling, not even when Luffy wiped them away with his thumb. The surgeon was then pulled in so his face was buried in the younger pirate's shoulder and a pair of arms held him like they would keep him there forever. "It's okay, Torao," Luffy insisted, bringing up one hand to rest on Law's head. "You can cry. It's okay to cry when you're sad. You don't need to hold it in." He continued to hold him, even when he felt his shoulders shake, even when he heard his muffled sobs.

  
In the distance, the Sunny was sailing towards them.


End file.
